Arkansas, Texas declare winter weather emergency

The US states of Arkansas and Texas declared a statewide emergency on Thursday preparing for strong winter storms expected to sweep large parts of the two states from Friday through the weekend. Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe said in a statement on Thursday afternoon that only essential state personnel in the capital city of Little Rock will be asked to work on Friday. The governor's schedule for the weekend will be postponed, and 100,000 U.S. dollars from Beebe's disaster fund has been released to help with the storm response. The storm, which has already caused problems in the northwest and north central parts of Arkansas, is expected to blanket a large portion of the state in ice, snow and freezing rain. Several schools and businesses across the state have already said they will be closed on Friday due to the weather. In Texas, wintry weather swept much of the state Thursday afternoon, with a sharp drop in temperature and howling winds. Up to a half-inch of freezing rain is expected to hit the northern part of the state, which may cause power outages and icy roadways. Texas Governor Rick Perry on Thursday issued an emergency proclamation allocating additional state resources to prepare for the storm. The Texas Department of Public Safety also discouraged non-essential travel through affected areas. Officials at local airports advised passengers and those meeting flights to check with airlines for the latest information. Fort Worth-based American Airlines announced system-wide flight cancellations in anticipation of deteriorating travel conditions.